"Roots. That's a good word for it. Everybody's got a family tree and just to know how the roots grew, well that gives you a sense of who you are." spoken by Martha Corinne Walton, The Waltons, Episode 10, 1976

David's Reformed Church Congregation

Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Art of the Handwritten Letter

A little while ago, I was admiring the vintage postcards on the web page of footnoteMaven . I love looking at the romantic artwork and reading any of the messages that might remain on the back. They are truly a gifts from the past. I would have to say that of all the documents and various items I have in my family history files, the hand written letters and legal papers are my favorite. This letter from my grandfather, Leland Norris, written in his own hand, from training camp at Camp Sheridan during World War I, is one of my treasures. Reading what was happening to him there, in his own words and seeing his handwriting is priceless to me. I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness when I think about the lack of letter writing these days. Text messages and email have virtually eliminated the days of long handwritten letters to loved ones. I love the ability to contact people immediately and to share so much of our daily lives, but the art of letter writing, I fear, is being lost forever. Maybe we should all make it a rule to hand write at least a couple of letters a year and put them away for our grandchildren in the future. What do you think?

The Graphics Fairy

Disclaimer and Copyright Info

Disclaimer and Copyright InfoDisclaimer and Copyright Information:1. Copyright: Genealogy and Me is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License and is owned and administered by Lori J. Hellmund2. Content: Genealogy and Me reflects the personal views and opinions of Lori J. Hellmund.3. Credit: I promise to make every effort to give proper credit to any sources of content or information in Genealogy and Me. If you feel you or another source lacks credit, please contact Lori J. Hellmund.4. Images: Any image which is not otherwise attributed to another source, is presumed to be owned by Lori J. Hellmund.If you like the photo and you would like to use it, I probably won't mind, but please ask for permission first! I have had photographs stolen and added to some family history sites without my permission and this makes me unhappy!6. Comments: I do moderate the comments that are left by visitors in the comments section, but I am not responsible for any comments left by guests.7. Liability: If the reader uses information from Genealogy and Me and is somehow injured, Lori J. Hellmund is not responsible. The sites that Genealogy and Me links to via hyperlinks are not under the control of Lori J. HellmundThose sites are responsible for the content of those sites. about genealogy and family history.* Inspiration for this disclaimer provided by Valorem Law Group and by Destination: Austin Family .Any personal information you provide to us including and similar to your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address will not be released, sold, or rented to any entities or individuals outside of Genealogy and Me.Credit Card Details: Genealogy and Me will never ask for Credit Card details and request that you do not enter it on any of the forms on Genealogy and MeExternal Sites: Genealogy and Me is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. You are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal information.Cookies: A "cookie" is a small data text file that is placed in your browser and allows Genealogy and Me to recognize you each time you visit this site.Cookies themselves do not contain any personal information, and Genealogy and Me does not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies may also be used by 3rd party content providers such as newsfeeds.Remember The Risks Whenever You Use The Internet : While we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to Genealogy and Me and you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information. In addition other Internet sites or services that may be accessible through Genealogy and Me have separate data and privacy practices independent of us, and therefore we disclaim any responsibility or liability for their policies or actions.Please contact those vendors and others directly if you have any questions about their privacy policies.